Inspirational Life Lessons To Learn From Octopuses

Read about life lessons from octopuses that can bring significant changes in our professional as well as personal lives.

No matter how learned humans are, there’s always some scope left for learning from nature — specifically from other living creatures. I was inspired to write this post only after reading some amazing facts about octopuses.

Sometimes, complex problems have simple solutions

Octopuses have efficiently demonstrated their tool making skills by building a portable shelter using a coconut shell.
Octopuses are considered to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates. I was surprised to know that invertebrates like octopuses could use something as simple as a coconut shell for their protection. Yes, octopuses cannot harness technology; but they can find simple solutions for their complex problems.

Personal Goals are as important as professional goals

The mother octopus stops eating food in order to take care of the eggs until they are hatched. Once the eggs are hatched the mother’s body starts disintegrating and eventually she dies. No matter how busy our schedule is, safeguarding our family against all odds should be the priority. Something as simple as a health insurance plan covering family could mean a lot during times of emergency. Probably, some of us may have planned already, but it’s not only about health insurance. It is also about spending quality time with our family.

Self learning is the best learning

Before dying, octopuses spend very limited amount of time with their offspring. Hence, octopuses are subjected to learn various life lessons on their own due to limited learning from parents.

Once you stop learning, you start dying — cited by Sir Albert Einstein

Above quote emphasizes the importance of continuous learning in our lives. Yes, professional training helps to get started; but when you walk that extra mile to learn things by yourselves, you start conquering your goals. Success is not too far away, when the only person who can deny you information is — you and only you.

Multitasking may be good but not at the cost of productivity

Octopuses exhibit multitasking using its three hearts, nine brains, and eight arms that never get entangled.
It is observed that octopus arms can take certain locomotive decisions without much involvement of brain due to presence of two-thirds of the neurons in its arms. They are the creatures blessed by nature with multiple organs and hence they can multi-task.

Humans can multitask too, but we do not have multiple organs. Several studies say that sometimes multitasking can be harmful for human brain. We should understand that humans could work more productively when focused on a single task.

Survival of the fittest

Octopuses can expel colored ink, display threatening physical appearance, camouflage and shrink body to hide from the sea predators. Octopuses have blue blood which is also yet another intelligent adaptation to survive in Deep Ocean.
Scientifically, it has been observed that all the living creatures on this planet have responded physiologically or behaviorally to the changes in environmental factors. Similarly, in professional life we need to quickly adapt to the technological transformations and the rapidly changing industry trends.